They Hope You Don’t Notice Their Breakup

SOLVED!

[Blind Gossip] This celebrity couple certainly doesn’t seem to mind photo ops, especially on the red carpet. However, when it comes to breaking up, they would rather nobody notice.

So they are trying to quietly accomplish this during the holiday rush. If there is an announcement (which we think will be casual), expect it to happen in the next two to three weeks. And then pretend that you didn’t notice a thing.

This one was a very smart and well-planned breakup. Yes, that sounds weird, but we are always watching to see how celebs and their publicists coordinate these things. This one was especially well done.

We knew that the couple had already separated and we were just waiting for the announcement. These two had already worked out the custody agreement of their son (smart), went out in public together on New Years Eve right before the announcement to dispel any rumors (smart), announced the breakup on a Friday afternoon (smart) right after the holidays (smart), kept the announcement light and united (smart, smart). Since they announced, they’ve continued to do photo ops together with their son (smart). Well done, couple AND publicists! All very low-key and classy.

Hilary Duff and Mike Comrie have split

The singer-actress, 26, and her former hockey-pro husband, 33, “have mutually decided [upon] an amicable separation,” a rep for Duff confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.

“They remain best friends and will continue to be in each other’s lives. They are dedicated to loving and parenting their amazing son, and ask for privacy at this time.”

A source close to Duff, who wed Comrie in August 2010, says, “There was no major incident – no big event between the two of them. They really did drift apart. They have put effort and thought into this decision for a long time. They tried couples therapy, but in the end, they realized at this time, they work better as friends. And they really are great friends.”

The couple plan to co-parent 21-month-old son Luca Cruz. “They’re still going to go to the park together,” adds the source.

The split was not “a rash decision,” the source tells PEOPLE. “It’s something [Hilary] thought through,” the source explains. “She really does care about him and he really does care about her.”

The former Disney star spoke effusively about her husband in 2009: “I’ve never met anyone who can say a bad word about him,” she said. “He’s generous, caring and sunny. We just laugh our heads off.”

Duff told PEOPLE in October that Comrie has since become a wonderful dad as well.

“He’s an amazing father,” she says. “He’s so patient and loving and involved. He’s all the things that I knew that he would be.”

Right after the announcement, Duff tweeted, “Mike and I are sitting here, we are so appreciative for all of your kindness & well wishes. Not an easy day but we’re getting thru it together.”

In addition to co-parenting, there is a LOT of money at stake. In 2010 the New York Post reported the two have a prenuptial agreement.

Duff made her fortune starring in the hit Disney television series Lizzie McGuire and in PG-rated movies like A Cinderella Story. Comrie is the heir to a fortune in Canada. His father, Bill, founded furniture and appliance retailer The Brick in Edmonton. Mike’s family is worth $500m.

Mike retired from the National Hockey League in 2012, and Hillary only worked a little last year. However, according to Deadline, Duff just landed a lead in the TV Land pilot Younger:

Hilary Duff is set to star opposite Sutton Foster in Younger, TV Land’s single-camera comedy pilot written and executive produced by Sex And the City creator Darren Star. Based on the novel by Pamela Redmond Satran, Younger centers on Liza (Foster), a 40-something woman who reinvents herself and starts living a double life; one as a suburban mom and another as a 29-year old working girl in the city, after her husband leaves her and her child goes to college. Duff will play Kelsey, a smart ambitious 20-something who welcomes Liza to the publishing firm, treats her as a contemporary and makes a concerted effort to integrate her into her social life, having no idea that Liza is a decade older.

In case you are wondering about other rumors, Aaron Carter definitely played no part in the split, nor is Hillary Duff going to be getting back together with him. That ship sailed long ago.

Nobody got this one right! We take the blame for that. We were going to say that one had been “iced out” of their relationship by the other, but that would have made it too easy.

Last time Eleanor was seen anywhere near a red carpet was back in August for their movie premiere. Also, celebrity couple implies that they’re both celebrities, and Eleanor, for all the Twitter followers she has, is still just a normal university student. Can’t be them.

While a valid guess, as Kourtney seems like the only semi-normal one, I can’t imagine Pimp Mama Kris letting ANYTHING happen without a full-on publicity blitz and money grab. It’s just not her style to let her children do anything under-the-radar. Where’s the profit in that?

I think Kourtney’s relationship is the most low-profile of Kris Jenner’s spawn. In the wake of Khloe filing for divorce, Bruce and Kris separating, and Kim’s relationship with Kanye, Kourtney’s parting with Scott would probably not generate much press anyway.

jennifer aniston and justin? “breaking up” = her movie the break up? the word notice is repeated twice in the blind, not sure what that is hinting at. “pretend” reminded me of that comment brad pitt made about how he pretended his marriage to jennifer was something it wasn’t. could be wayyy off base though….

First thought was Jennifer A and Justin T, but there is no way the tabloids would NOT notice this (and publish the inevitable “how will Brad Pitt and Anjelina Jolie react?” story.) But how hard would a non-married breakup be that you would “try to quietly accomplish”?

His big-ass HEAD wouldn’t FIT on any red carpet. Literally and figuratively. He’s just, ewwww, GROSS. I read that he thought he was gonna become “huge star” once he got to “Hollywood”. In WHAT WORLD? He can hopefully go AWAY now…..

I think the reason no one made a correct guess is that the blind said they like to make red carpet appearances. While I’ve seen them (especially her) in plenty of photos, I don’t think of them when I think of the red carpet.